Buddhism
Looking Back at General Zorawar Singh and his Campaigns: An Assessment

Zorawar Singh was a prominent military commander and statesman in the army of Maharaja Gulab Singh of Jammu and Kashmir. He played a pivotal role in defining the modern political boundaries of the Union Territories of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir. Zo....

Neighborhood News Digest – 26 April 2023

Afghanistan
India invited to join regional group on Afghanistan: Lavrov
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that India has been invited to join the core group of four countries neighbouring Afghanistan that say they....

Neighborhood News Digest – 12 April 2023

Afghanistan
United Nations to review presence in Afghanistan following Taliban banning women from working with UN Mission – The Hindu
The United Nations said, on April 11, it is reviewing its presence in Afghanistan after the T....

Buddhism and India’s Soft Power Diplomacy

India has always been aware of the need to avoid using military might as the cornerstone of its foreign policy since gaining independence. The values of peaceful coexistence have governed India since Jawaharlal Nehru's Panchsheel principles. Though I....

China’s Systemic Mistreatment of its Religious Minorities

The Middle Kingdom and Its War against Religion: A Historical Perspective
When speaking to military students at Nankai University in 2013, Chinese professor Ai Yuejin said the following: “Do you know what the foundation for our nati....

Perceiving Silk Road as a Pilgrimage Route to India

If someone has to physically locate the Silk Road, then they would usually find a region from the main landmass of China to the ancient Roman Empire. The route in between, also touches the northern region of the Indian subcontinent as well as the Cen....

Kashi Ram Sharma, ‘The Third Birth of Confucius: Reconstructing the Ancient Chinese Philosophy in the Post-Mao China’. New Delhi, Manohar, 2022. 385pp. Rs. 1,995.00

Kashi Ram Sharma, ‘The Third Birth of Confucius: Reconstructing the Ancient Chinese Philosophy in the Post-Mao China’. New Delhi, Manohar, 2022. 385pp. Rs. 1,995.00Confucius has made a remarkable comeback in China. As the author emphasizes, “C....

Bamiyan Buddhas and Afghanistan’s Cultural Heritage

In Afghanistan, Buddhist cave temples are concentrated in three regions: Jalalabad (180 caves), Haibak (200 caves) and Bamiyan (1000 caves).[1] The Bamiyan Buddhas are part of a Buddhist site in Bamiya....

Routes of Exchange, Roots of Connectivity-The Archaeology of Ancient India’s Trade Networks by Dr. Marike van Aerde

On 19th January 2022 Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) hosted Dr. Marike van Aerde for a talk on ancient trade connectivity and the integral role played by the Indian Subcontinent in these exchanges. The Director, Dr. Arvind Gupta’s openin....

China Intensifies Campaign to Assimilate Tibetans into Mainstream Han Culture

Tibet appears poised to initiate a vigorous campaign aimed at assimilating the Tibetan ethnic minority into the Han national mainstream. An important speech by Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) Party Secretary Wu Yingjie, at a meeting of the District Par....

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